Chapter 6
The Godlings should have never existed on this plane. They were created out of spite and greed. Destruction is in their nature.
– The Book of Tevye
Taryn
Taryn sat stiff-backed, keeping his eyes straight forward. He gripped the reins tightly, trying his best to ignore the curve of her ass pressed against his groin and her intoxicating scent.
If he was being honest with himself, her scent was making him feral.
She was making him feral, and Taryn couldn’t understand why she was having such a strong effect on him.
Although he was to remain professional, he was only male.
A Fae male, at that. But after ten years on the Lucien continent, he had learned to keep his animalistic qualities at bay.
Still, being so close to her was torture.
The proximity only heightened his awareness of her—the way her body shifted against his, her breathing, the way her heart pounded.
He knew his thoughts were wrong, for so many reasons, but he couldn’t help but think them.
He breathed her in again, smelling the uneasiness and anxiety seeping off of her.
“What am I to expect when we arrive? When are we going to arrive?”
The Lady Airess was mouthier than he expected.
He had never met a daughter of an aristocrat before, but he presumed she would have been docile, easily pliable.
Her stubbornness was certainly evident. He couldn’t believe how strong her own will had resisted the compulsion ring when she’s tried to stop walking earlier. That alone was proof of a strong mind.
“Soon enough, my Lady,” he retorted, his tone sarcastic.
“Good,” Airess fired back. “I can’t wait to be rid of you.”
“Likewise. I’ve had enough of your sharp mouth.”
“And I’ve had enough of your silent brooding. Truly, it makes for such a boring ride. You were much more enjoyable at the ball, and even that was a sham,” she said, examining her nails, the words sliding off her tongue like knives.
The Gods were truly testing his patience.
Perhaps he deserved this. He knew what he was doing was wrong, so he didn’t bother replying. Let her have the last word, that’s the least he could offer her as he took her to Eryx.
And what would Eryx do with her? He didn’t know why, but his throat tightened at the thought. He couldn’t understand why he felt so conflicted about his actions. Taryn had done so much worse than this simple task.
He knew he was more than likely leading her into a fate similar to his. Eryx would offer her a place at the Guild, a bound life sentence to him, disguised as a promise of power.
Taryn looked at the back of her cloak hood. If she truly was powerful like Eryx claimed, why hasn't she used it against him yet? Was it possible she told the truth earlier when she claimed to be powerless?
And if that were true, could he really justify his actions now?
Taryn heard wings flapping above them, followed by a flash of white. He looked up, noticing an strikingly beautiful owl covered in ivory feathers, perched on a branch above them. He made eye contact with it, and Taryn swore he saw a look of displeasure in the animal's milky gray eyes.
As if that was even possible—
A sharp pain tore into his palm and wrist. Airess dug her nails in hard, seizing his wrist so quickly he barely registered her slipping the compulsion ring off his finger. She threw it several feet away from them.
“Fuck!” Taryn exclaimed as he yanked his arm away. Her elbow made contact with his cheekbone, knocking his face to the side. The horse reared back, sensing the energy of its riders, sending them flying onto the forest floor.
Taryn landed on his back, stunned, watching her sprint away as soon as they fell off the horse.
A smile curved his lips. Oh, she was clever.
He jumped to his feet and ran after her. Finally, a challenge—someone who possessed enough wit of their own that could rival his.
She was fast, but not as fast as him. Taryn’s strong legs propelled him forward.
He reached a hand out to grab her ivory hair that flew behind her.
She veered left, his fingers barely skimming her locks.
Taryn growled in frustration, then held his hand out, wind swirling around his arm like an aura.
He reached forward, sending the wind to coil around her ankle and up her leg, and pulled downward.
She fell face-first with a thud. He grabbed her ankle, dragging her towards him and flipped her over, not really sure what he even planned to do.
He had vowed before this assignment that he wouldn’t bring harm to her.
As he flipped her over, pinning her arms and straddling her waist, he realized he was betraying his own morality for his bastard of a Guildmaster.
As he gazed upon the fear in her eyes, her gilded irises glowed brighter. The air around them crackled with static, as if it were charging with energy. A light emanated from her chest so brightly, it showed through her clothing.
“No!” she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut.
The light erupted from her chest, growing until it burst into an explosion that blasted Taryn off of her. He went barrelling through the air.
Streaks of sparkling light crowded his vision as his back slammed into a tree, his head cracking against the hard wood.
He didn’t even have time to feel shock as he faded into dark oblivion.